Also published as study document by Lutheran Council in Canada

Riegert, Eduard R.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 11 | Issue 2 Article 24-1-1985WorshipEduard R. RiegertFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Articles is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationRiegert, Eduard R. (1985) "Worship," Consensus: Vol. 11 : Iss. 2 , Article 2.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol11/iss2/2Eduard R. RiegertWhat is worship? The word itself comes from “worth-ship,” which means “ascrib-ing worth to God.” One is reminded of the four and twenty elders in the mighty visionof the seer of Patmos who “threw their crowns in front of the throne, saying, ‘You areour Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power . . ” (Rev.4:10-11, J.B.).But at once we recognize that, at least here on earth, worship must be more than aresponse to God. Perhaps the most direct description of worship is that made by H.Grady Davis; worship is “God speaking to his creatures and his creatures making de-cent reply to him.”^ Davis’ deft grasp of the dialogical heart of worship is an echo ofMartin Luther’s equally direct statement. Preaching at the dedication of CastleChurch, Torgau, in 1544 he stated that the worshippers too must join in the dedica-tion “in order that the purpose of this new house may be such that nothing else mayhappen in it except that our dear Lord himself may speak to us through his holyWord and we respond to him through prayer and praise.”^ A little further on hedeclares that “since Sunday is now universally accepted as our sabbath or day of rest”everyone should “make themselves ready, and come together to hear God’s Wordand to respond to him by calling upon him together, praying for every kind of need,and thanking him for benefits received.”^We should not move away too quickly from such simple descriptions of worshipbecause, like the rude manger of Bethlehem, they contain profound treasures. Let usexamine them.First, we may note that IT IS GOD WHO STARTS THE CONVERSATION. We1. H. Grady Davis, Why We Worship (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1961), p. 14.2. Luther's Works, American Edition, Vol. 51.3. Ibid.16 Consensuscannot emphasize that enough. He began that conversation with Adam and Eve, hecontinued it with the patriarchs and the prophets, and “in our own time, the last days,he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inheriteverything and through whom he made everything there is” (Heb. 1:1-2). That Sonis called the Word, and “the Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we sawhis glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth”(John 1:14). So God has spoken and continues to speak, and the Word he spokeand speaks is nowhere so clear and lucid and powerful as the address made by thelife, suffering, death, and resurrection of his only-begotten Son. In him God’s addressbecomes not only audible but visible as well: “the Word, who is life . . . that life wasmade visible . . .,” writes John (I John 1:1-2). It is God, not we, who starts the con-versation.Secondly, we note that GOD’S INITIATIVE IS VASTLY SURPRISING! We haveseen on television how thrilled were those people who happened to be spoken to bythe Queen and the pope, and how they treasured the handshakes and even thebriefest of touches: “She spoke to me!” they say, incredulous. “He took my hand!”That God should speak to us is even more amazing: “What is man that you shouldspare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him?” (Ps. 8:4). Butthe amazement goes deeper if we go deeper to face something ugly. It is the fact ofsin. God is holy, we are unholy. “What a wretched state I am in!” whispered Isaiah indespair. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people ofunclean lips . . .” (Isa. 6:5). Centuries later Paul confessed the same: “What a wret-ched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?” (Rom. 7:24).And we make the confession, too: “Most merciful God, we confess that we are inbondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you . . Whywould God bother to speak to us? And if he did, would he have anything exceptjudgment to say to us? If as a parent you left your child for ten minutes to get a litre ofmilk and came home to find the house in total chaos — what would you say?So, thirdly, we note that what God says to us is BOTH A WORD OF JUDGMENTAND A WORD OF FORGIVENESS. These two “words” belong together. If youcame home to find your house a mess and your favorite lamp broken, and youcrumpled into a chair sobbing while you took your astonished child in your arms,your child would at one and the same time be deeply convicted by your sobs (judged)and yet accepted by your embrace (forgiven). These words of judgment andforgiveness are spoken by God in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Sufferingand death are the end-result and consequences of our sin, and on the cross these areexacted. Forgiveness and a new life are the pledge of unsurpassed love, and thatabiding and persistent love of God for us bursts all the bonds of sin, death, and hell inthe miracle of the resurrection! God’s ultimate word is the word of salvationl.Fourthly, we should UNDERSCORE THE COSTLINESS OF THE WORD OFSALVATION. Someone once callously remarked that it is God’s business to forgive,and so he should get about his business. But God is not an adding machinewhich calculates our debts and then erases them. God is Father, Jesus told us. His isthe heart of a parent, and the hurtful, greedy, thoughtless wickedness we visit on one4. Lutheran Book of Worship, ‘‘Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness,” p. 56.17another and the injustice and perversity we practice in our corporate life, are deeplysaddening and offensive to God. The crucifixion of Jesus is again both the lump sumof all this unrighteousness, and the drawing of it all into God himself for our sakes:“For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become thegoodness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The word of forgiveness and acceptance, therefore,comes out of deep suffering and pain. That God is willing to bear it is what is meantwhen he is called gracious, and we acknowledge and give thanks for his graciousnesswhen we confess the Second Article of the Creed, understanding it to mean, “Ibelieve that Jesus Christ, true God . . . and also true man ... is my Lord, who hasredeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, delivered me and freed me from allsins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with silver and gold but with hisholy and precious blood and with his innocent sufferings and death, in order that 1may be his, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlastingrighteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead andlives and reigns to all eternity.”^Fifthly, we should note that THIS WORD OF GOD IS POWERFULLYLIBERATING, and in two ways. It frees us from bondage to sin, guilt, death, and thepower of evil. It frees us for a life of grateful loving service of the neighbor. This isnowhere so clearly “imaged” as in Baptism. In this sacrament we are joined to Christso that “when we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; inother words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined himin death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we toomight live a new life” (Rom. 6:3-4). This new life is lived by and in a new spirit, theHoly Spirit, who moves and directs us into deeper communion with God and intodedicated mission in the world.Sixthly, we need to say something about HOW GOD “SPEAKS” TO US. Takingour cue, as Christians, from Jesus who is “the Word made flesh,” we believe thatGod always uses an “incarnated Word” to address us, that is, he speaks to us throughor by means of some “means” or “medium” or “vehicle”. The church calls thesemedia the “means of grace” (“grace” because the Word God speaks to us is ultimate-ly gracious, in that even God’s judgment is an effort to lead us to salvation).Historically the “means of grace” are two, the Word of God and the Sacraments(Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), because the early Christians experienced thepresence of Christ with them precisely in “Word and Sacrament” (see Luke24:13-35, the account of the disciples travelling to Emmaus). The Bible and theSacraments “mediate” God’s grace to us. Perhaps it will help to put it like this: Jesusis the incarnate Word; the Scriptures are the written Word; the Sacraments are thevisible or acted Word. From this base we may go further: because God has institutedthe office of the ministry to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments, this of-fice too is a means of grace; and because Christians can speak a word of forgivenessto each other in Christ’s name their conversation can also be a means of grace. ArticleIV of the Smalcald Articles (one of the documents known collectively as the“Lutheran Confessions”) sums it up like this: “. . . the Gospel . . . offers counsel and5. The Small Catechism, in The Book of Concord, ed. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Muhlen-berg Press, 1959), p. 345.18 Consensushelp against sin in more than one way, for God is surpassingly rich in his grace: First,through the spoken word, by which the forgiveness of sin (the peculiar office of theGospel) is preached to the whole world; second, through Baptism; third, through theholy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of keys; and finally, throughthe mutual conversation and consolation of brethren. Matt. 18:20, ‘Where two orthree are gathered’, etc.”®Now let us draw these things together. In worship God speaks the words of judg-ment and salvation in Jesus Christ. We need to hear them over and over again andsee them acted out over and over again, because without doubt we mess up thehouse over and over again. Indeed, God calls us together in order for that Word ofsalvation to be spoken and acted so that we may hear and respond. Recall how theSmall Catechism expresses this: “I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannotbelieve in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called methrough the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me intrue faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christianchurch on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Inthis Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of allbelievers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternallife to me and to all who believe in Christ.”^So far we have spoken of God’s address to us. Now we turn to the “DECENTREPLY”.If we think again of the child in our earlier example, surely the very first decent re-ply is to say, “I’m sorry!” And no doubt the second decent reply is to say, “Will youforgive me?” Then (since the Word is gracious!), “Thank you!” Then, “I’ll clean upthe mess.” Then, since the “mess” is deep and wide and stubborn, “I cannot do thisby my own strength; will you help me?” And then, “Forgive me; I got distracted ...”Here we have identified the primary elements of a “decent reply”: confession of sin,expressions of repentance, praise and thanksgiving, confession of faith, petition, in-tercession, adoration.But just as the address of God comes “in more than one way,” so our reply is madein more than one way or language.® We not only speak, we sing. We not onlyvocalize, we move, we act out, we portray. Think of all the actions made during aservice of worship both by the ministers and the people which communicate one ormore of the above responses. Don’t forget that perhaps one of the most significant“action-responses” is our departure from the worship place: “Go in peace. Serve theLord”!It is clear, now, that a worship service (a “liturgy”) must provide means (notice howoften this word comes up?) by which this conversation can proceed. Briefly, themeans through which God addresses us are: Baptism, absolution, scripture,sermon, the Lord’s Supper, hymns, creeds, benediction, the fellowship of believers.6. The Smalcald Articles, Article IV, The Book of Concord, ed. Tappert, p. 310.7. The Small Catechism, The Book of Concord, ed. Tappert, p. 345.8. See the brief and helpful discussion of the “languages” used in worship by Paul Bosch, TheSermon as Part of the Liturgi^, The Preacher’s Workshop Series Bk. 6 (St. Louis: Concordia,1977).19The means by which we make decent reply are confession of sin; hymns ofpraise, thanks, and petition; prayers or adoration, confession, petition, intercession,thanks, praise; confession of faith; music; liturgical dance; banners; art; the offering;service in mission, witness, and social ministry; doing our work (occupation) asfaithful Christians (vocation).It is obvious that worship does not allow for spectators. What is going on is a life-and-death dialogue with God, and to sit through it vacantly is an insult. It is also ob-vious that worship does not end with the final sung “Amen” of the liturgy but con-tinues as we continue listening and responding to God in the world of work and play(“liturgy” means the work of the people) . For it is precisely because we have heardthe Word in worship that we can hear God speaking to us through the events of theworld; and it is precisely because we have learned the “decent reply” in worship thatwe can make such a reply in the world.It goes without saying that the conversation with God which is worship can behelped or hindered. Poorly read scripture, ill-prepared sermons, sloppy leadership,faulty hymns, a mish-mash order of service, conventional prayers, spotty accoustics,cheap art, a bleak worship room are obstacles both to hearing and responding. Thusit is that people have always been moved to invest their best in worship: their bestphysical materials and their best talents.However, this very compulsion to provide the best also opens the door to idolatry.Having given our best to facilitate the conversation so that we may hear clearly andmake a reply worthy of God, we often find ourselves with one or more “goldencalves” (see Exodus 32): the building, a certain style of architecture (it “looks like achurch,” we say!),^ a particular liturgy (how hard it is to introduce a new liturgy!),certain hymns and rituals (“we always did it this way!”),a group of compatible andexclusive people, etc. Then, instead of worship being a joining of God and our life itbecomes a separation. We become “Sunday Christians”; we don’t really hear anylonger, and our reply has become something we do to please “God” — which reallymeans, please ourselves. This perversion of worship is perhaps the most glaringevidence of the power of sin.*°Since our parents and/or grandparents were all immigrants to North America, oneof the most easily constructed “golden calves” has been our ethnic worship traditions.It is simply a fact of life that our earliest memories and experiences retain enormouspower. If as children we heard the scriptures read in Norwegian or Finnish or Germanor Estonian, for example, and if we learned to make decent reply in that language,then that language will remain crucial in our worship, and only with difficulty will wemove to another. That is in part why the acceptance of a common worship book hasbeen a slow process among North American Lutherans. Each ethnic group, for ex-ample, wants its own treasury of hymns to be included — but that would result in amassive book!On the other hand, our ethnic worship traditions provide rich and powerful means9. See Richard C. Crossman and Eduard R. Riegert, ‘‘Edifying the Body while Building theEdifice,” Consensus, VII, 2, April 1981, 3-10.10. See Eduard R. Riegert, Worship and the Church's Mission,” Consensus, IX, 1, January 198321-31.20 Consensusto facilitate the conversation with God." One of the principal surprises on the firstPentecost was that, when devout folk “from every nation under heaven” who wereliving in Jerusalem assembled to find out what was happening, each person wasamazed and astonished to hear the Christians “speaking his own language” (Acts2:5-7). Diversity of languages, this experience seems to say, can become amarvelous symphony under the direction of the Holy Spirit! Apart from the Spirit, wemay add, diversity of languages can cause divisiveness, suspicion, and offence.One of the wonderful developments in worship over the past several decades hasbeen the ecumenical convergence in liturgical orders and materials. Commonliturgical texts (the Creeds, the Gloria, the Lord’s Prayer, etc.) have been accepted bythe major churches throughout the English-speaking world. Revisions of liturgieshave given Protestants and Roman Catholics very similar orders of service, churchyears, and lectionaries. Even denominations which, at the time of the Reformation orsince, gave up such elements as the church calendar, appointed lessons, paraments,and vestments are becoming interested in these time-tested means of hearing theWord of God and making decent reply.Worship is a “many splendor’d thing.” It can be a very simple “breaking of thebread” among “two or three gathered together” among whom is the crucified andrisen Lord; it can be a magnificent “solemn high eucharist” with incense and proces-sions and rich vestments and superb organ and choir and instrumental music. At theheart of it is the simple but profound dialogue with God who comes to us and ad-dresses us with his Word of Salvation.*^11. See Roger W. Nostbakken, “Celebrating the Mosaic: A Perspective on Lutheran Worship inCanada,’’ Consensus, VIII, 4, October 1982, 13-22.12. For further reading see Gail Ramshaw Schmidt, “The Word in the World,’’ Consensus, VIII, 4,October 1982, 23-27; Lowell C. Green, “Luther on Revelation: Foundation for Proclamationand Worship,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 3-11; Philip H. Pfatteicher, “Worship: The Sourceand Summit of Faith,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 13-25; Carl M. Rasmussen. “Worship inSmall Churches,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 26-30; Philip H. Pfatteicher, “Worship: TheSource of Renewal," Consensus, IX, 3, July 1983, 23-29.

Worship

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 11 | Issue 2 Article 2
4-1-1985
Worship
Eduard R. Riegert
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Riegert, Eduard R. (1985) "Worship," Consensus: Vol. 11 : Iss. 2 , Article 2.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol11/iss2/2
Eduard R. Riegert
What is worship? The word itself comes from “worth-ship,” which means “ascrib-
ing worth to God.” One is reminded of the four and twenty elders in the mighty vision
of the seer of Patmos who “threw their crowns in front of the throne, saying, ‘You are
our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power . . ” (Rev.
4:10-11, J.B.).
But at once we recognize that, at least here on earth, worship must be more than a
response to God. Perhaps the most direct description of worship is that made by H.
Grady Davis; worship is “God speaking to his creatures and his creatures making de-
cent reply to him.”^ Davis’ deft grasp of the dialogical heart of worship is an echo of
Martin Luther’s equally direct statement. Preaching at the dedication of Castle
Church, Torgau, in 1544 he stated that the worshippers too must join in the dedica-
tion “in order that the purpose of this new house may be such that nothing else may
happen in it except that our dear Lord himself may speak to us through his holy
Word and we respond to him through prayer and praise.”^ A little further on he
declares that “since Sunday is now universally accepted as our sabbath or day of rest”
everyone should “make themselves ready, and come together to hear God’s Word
and to respond to him by calling upon him together, praying for every kind of need,
and thanking him for benefits received.”^
We should not move away too quickly from such simple descriptions of worship
because, like the rude manger of Bethlehem, they contain profound treasures. Let us
examine them.
First, we may note that IT IS GOD WHO STARTS THE CONVERSATION. We
1. H. Grady Davis, Why We Worship (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1961), p. 14.
2. Luther's Works, American Edition, Vol. 51.
3. Ibid.
16 Consensus
cannot emphasize that enough. He began that conversation with Adam and Eve, he
continued it with the patriarchs and the prophets, and “in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit
everything and through whom he made everything there is” (Heb. 1:1-2). That Son
is called the Word, and “the Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw
his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth”
(John 1:14). So God has spoken and continues to speak, and the Word he spoke
and speaks is nowhere so clear and lucid and powerful as the address made by the
life, suffering, death, and resurrection of his only-begotten Son. In him God’s address
becomes not only audible but visible as well: “the Word, who is life . . . that life was
made visible . . .,” writes John (I John 1:1-2). It is God, not we, who starts the con-
versation.
Secondly, we note that GOD’S INITIATIVE IS VASTLY SURPRISING! We have
seen on television how thrilled were those people who happened to be spoken to by
the Queen and the pope, and how they treasured the handshakes and even the
briefest of touches: “She spoke to me!” they say, incredulous. “He took my hand!”
That God should speak to us is even more amazing: “What is man that you should
spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him?” (Ps. 8:4). But
the amazement goes deeper if we go deeper to face something ugly. It is the fact of
sin. God is holy, we are unholy. “What a wretched state I am in!” whispered Isaiah in
despair. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of
unclean lips . . .” (Isa. 6:5). Centuries later Paul confessed the same: “What a wret-
ched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?” (Rom. 7:24).
And we make the confession, too: “Most merciful God, we confess that we are in
bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you . . Why
would God bother to speak to us? And if he did, would he have anything except
judgment to say to us? If as a parent you left your child for ten minutes to get a litre of
milk and came home to find the house in total chaos — what would you say?
So, thirdly, we note that what God says to us is BOTH A WORD OF JUDGMENT
AND A WORD OF FORGIVENESS. These two “words” belong together. If you
came home to find your house a mess and your favorite lamp broken, and you
crumpled into a chair sobbing while you took your astonished child in your arms,
your child would at one and the same time be deeply convicted by your sobs (judged)
and yet accepted by your embrace (forgiven). These words of judgment and
forgiveness are spoken by God in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Suffering
and death are the end-result and consequences of our sin, and on the cross these are
exacted. Forgiveness and a new life are the pledge of unsurpassed love, and that
abiding and persistent love of God for us bursts all the bonds of sin, death, and hell in
the miracle of the resurrection! God’s ultimate word is the word of salvationl.
Fourthly, we should UNDERSCORE THE COSTLINESS OF THE WORD OF
SALVATION. Someone once callously remarked that it is God’s business to forgive,
and so he should get about his business. But God is not an adding machine
which calculates our debts and then erases them. God is Father, Jesus told us. His is
the heart of a parent, and the hurtful, greedy, thoughtless wickedness we visit on one
4. Lutheran Book of Worship, ‘‘Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness,” p. 56.
17
another and the injustice and perversity we practice in our corporate life, are deeply
saddening and offensive to God. The crucifixion of Jesus is again both the lump sum
of all this unrighteousness, and the drawing of it all into God himself for our sakes:
“For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the
goodness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). The word of forgiveness and acceptance, therefore,
comes out of deep suffering and pain. That God is willing to bear it is what is meant
when he is called gracious, and we acknowledge and give thanks for his graciousness
when we confess the Second Article of the Creed, understanding it to mean, “I
believe that Jesus Christ, true God . . . and also true man ... is my Lord, who has
redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, delivered me and freed me from all
sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with silver and gold but with his
holy and precious blood and with his innocent sufferings and death, in order that 1
may be his, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting
righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and
lives and reigns to all eternity.”^
Fifthly, we should note that THIS WORD OF GOD IS POWERFULLY
LIBERATING, and in two ways. It frees us from bondage to sin, guilt, death, and the
power of evil. It frees us for a life of grateful loving service of the neighbor. This is
nowhere so clearly “imaged” as in Baptism. In this sacrament we are joined to Christ
so that “when we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in
other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him
in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too
might live a new life” (Rom. 6:3-4). This new life is lived by and in a new spirit, the
Holy Spirit, who moves and directs us into deeper communion with God and into
dedicated mission in the world.
Sixthly, we need to say something about HOW GOD “SPEAKS” TO US. Taking
our cue, as Christians, from Jesus who is “the Word made flesh,” we believe that
God always uses an “incarnated Word” to address us, that is, he speaks to us through
or by means of some “means” or “medium” or “vehicle”. The church calls these
media the “means of grace” (“grace” because the Word God speaks to us is ultimate-
ly gracious, in that even God’s judgment is an effort to lead us to salvation).
Historically the “means of grace” are two, the Word of God and the Sacraments
(Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), because the early Christians experienced the
presence of Christ with them precisely in “Word and Sacrament” (see Luke
24:13-35, the account of the disciples travelling to Emmaus). The Bible and the
Sacraments “mediate” God’s grace to us. Perhaps it will help to put it like this: Jesus
is the incarnate Word; the Scriptures are the written Word; the Sacraments are the
visible or acted Word. From this base we may go further: because God has instituted
the office of the ministry to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments, this of-
fice too is a means of grace; and because Christians can speak a word of forgiveness
to each other in Christ’s name their conversation can also be a means of grace. Article
IV of the Smalcald Articles (one of the documents known collectively as the
“Lutheran Confessions”) sums it up like this: “. . . the Gospel . . . offers counsel and
5. The Small Catechism, in The Book of Concord, ed. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia: Muhlen-
berg Press, 1959), p. 345.
18 Consensus
help against sin in more than one way, for God is surpassingly rich in his grace: First,
through the spoken word, by which the forgiveness of sin (the peculiar office of the
Gospel) is preached to the whole world; second, through Baptism; third, through the
holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of keys; and finally, through
the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren. Matt. 18:20, ‘Where two or
three are gathered’, etc.”®
Now let us draw these things together. In worship God speaks the words of judg-
ment and salvation in Jesus Christ. We need to hear them over and over again and
see them acted out over and over again, because without doubt we mess up the
house over and over again. Indeed, God calls us together in order for that Word of
salvation to be spoken and acted so that we may hear and respond. Recall how the
Small Catechism expresses this: “I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me
through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in
true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian
church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In
this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all
believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal
life to me and to all who believe in Christ.”^
So far we have spoken of God’s address to us. Now we turn to the “DECENT
REPLY”.
If we think again of the child in our earlier example, surely the very first decent re-
ply is to say, “I’m sorry!” And no doubt the second decent reply is to say, “Will you
forgive me?” Then (since the Word is gracious!), “Thank you!” Then, “I’ll clean up
the mess.” Then, since the “mess” is deep and wide and stubborn, “I cannot do this
by my own strength; will you help me?” And then, “Forgive me; I got distracted ...”
Here we have identified the primary elements of a “decent reply”: confession of sin,
expressions of repentance, praise and thanksgiving, confession of faith, petition, in-
tercession, adoration.
But just as the address of God comes “in more than one way,” so our reply is made
in more than one way or language.® We not only speak, we sing. We not only
vocalize, we move, we act out, we portray. Think of all the actions made during a
service of worship both by the ministers and the people which communicate one or
more of the above responses. Don’t forget that perhaps one of the most significant
“action-responses” is our departure from the worship place: “Go in peace. Serve the
Lord”!
It is clear, now, that a worship service (a “liturgy”) must provide means (notice how
often this word comes up?) by which this conversation can proceed. Briefly, the
means through which God addresses us are: Baptism, absolution, scripture,
sermon, the Lord’s Supper, hymns, creeds, benediction, the fellowship of believers.
6. The Smalcald Articles, Article IV, The Book of Concord, ed. Tappert, p. 310.
7. The Small Catechism, The Book of Concord, ed. Tappert, p. 345.
8. See the brief and helpful discussion of the “languages” used in worship by Paul Bosch, The
Sermon as Part of the Liturgi^, The Preacher’s Workshop Series Bk. 6 (St. Louis: Concordia,
1977).
19
The means by which we make decent reply are confession of sin; hymns of
praise, thanks, and petition; prayers or adoration, confession, petition, intercession,
thanks, praise; confession of faith; music; liturgical dance; banners; art; the offering;
service in mission, witness, and social ministry; doing our work (occupation) as
faithful Christians (vocation)
.
It is obvious that worship does not allow for spectators. What is going on is a life-
and-death dialogue with God, and to sit through it vacantly is an insult. It is also ob-
vious that worship does not end with the final sung “Amen” of the liturgy but con-
tinues as we continue listening and responding to God in the world of work and play
(“liturgy” means the work of the people) . For it is precisely because we have heard
the Word in worship that we can hear God speaking to us through the events of the
world; and it is precisely because we have learned the “decent reply” in worship that
we can make such a reply in the world.
It goes without saying that the conversation with God which is worship can be
helped or hindered. Poorly read scripture, ill-prepared sermons, sloppy leadership,
faulty hymns, a mish-mash order of service, conventional prayers, spotty accoustics,
cheap art, a bleak worship room are obstacles both to hearing and responding. Thus
it is that people have always been moved to invest their best in worship: their best
physical materials and their best talents.
However, this very compulsion to provide the best also opens the door to idolatry.
Having given our best to facilitate the conversation so that we may hear clearly and
make a reply worthy of God, we often find ourselves with one or more “golden
calves” (see Exodus 32): the building, a certain style of architecture (it “looks like a
church,” we say!),^ a particular liturgy (how hard it is to introduce a new liturgy!),
certain hymns and rituals (“we always did it this way!”)
,
a group of compatible and
exclusive people, etc. Then, instead of worship being a joining of God and our life it
becomes a separation. We become “Sunday Christians”; we don’t really hear any
longer, and our reply has become something we do to please “God” — which really
means, please ourselves. This perversion of worship is perhaps the most glaring
evidence of the power of sin.*°
Since our parents and/or grandparents were all immigrants to North America, one
of the most easily constructed “golden calves” has been our ethnic worship traditions.
It is simply a fact of life that our earliest memories and experiences retain enormous
power. If as children we heard the scriptures read in Norwegian or Finnish or German
or Estonian, for example, and if we learned to make decent reply in that language,
then that language will remain crucial in our worship, and only with difficulty will we
move to another. That is in part why the acceptance of a common worship book has
been a slow process among North American Lutherans. Each ethnic group, for ex-
ample, wants its own treasury of hymns to be included — but that would result in a
massive book!
On the other hand, our ethnic worship traditions provide rich and powerful means
9. See Richard C. Crossman and Eduard R. Riegert, ‘‘Edifying the Body while Building the
Edifice,” Consensus, VII, 2, April 1981, 3-10.
10. See Eduard R. Riegert, Worship and the Church's Mission,” Consensus, IX, 1, January 1983
21-31.
20 Consensus
to facilitate the conversation with God." One of the principal surprises on the first
Pentecost was that, when devout folk “from every nation under heaven” who were
living in Jerusalem assembled to find out what was happening, each person was
amazed and astonished to hear the Christians “speaking his own language” (Acts
2:5-7). Diversity of languages, this experience seems to say, can become a
marvelous symphony under the direction of the Holy Spirit! Apart from the Spirit, we
may add, diversity of languages can cause divisiveness, suspicion, and offence.
One of the wonderful developments in worship over the past several decades has
been the ecumenical convergence in liturgical orders and materials. Common
liturgical texts (the Creeds, the Gloria, the Lord’s Prayer, etc.) have been accepted by
the major churches throughout the English-speaking world. Revisions of liturgies
have given Protestants and Roman Catholics very similar orders of service, church
years, and lectionaries. Even denominations which, at the time of the Reformation or
since, gave up such elements as the church calendar, appointed lessons, paraments,
and vestments are becoming interested in these time-tested means of hearing the
Word of God and making decent reply.
Worship is a “many splendor’d thing.” It can be a very simple “breaking of the
bread” among “two or three gathered together” among whom is the crucified and
risen Lord; it can be a magnificent “solemn high eucharist” with incense and proces-
sions and rich vestments and superb organ and choir and instrumental music. At the
heart of it is the simple but profound dialogue with God who comes to us and ad-
dresses us with his Word of Salvation.*^
11. See Roger W. Nostbakken, “Celebrating the Mosaic: A Perspective on Lutheran Worship in
Canada,’’ Consensus, VIII, 4, October 1982, 13-22.
12. For further reading see Gail Ramshaw Schmidt, “The Word in the World,’’ Consensus, VIII, 4,
October 1982, 23-27; Lowell C. Green, “Luther on Revelation: Foundation for Proclamation
and Worship,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 3-11; Philip H. Pfatteicher, “Worship: The Source
and Summit of Faith,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 13-25; Carl M. Rasmussen. “Worship in
Small Churches,’’ Consensus, IX, 2, April 1983, 26-30; Philip H. Pfatteicher, “Worship: The
Source of Renewal," Consensus, IX, 3, July 1983, 23-29.


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